A Walk Full of Living Signs

On March 17th, José Marín set out to walk through the reserve, and the forest gave up its secrets to him one by one. The first gift he found hanging from a climbing vine: a balsamina fruit (Momordica charantia) that had already burst open on its own, splitting its skin to reveal the brilliant red aril wrapped around the seeds — glowing like embers among the dry branches. A little further on, a squirrel allowed itself to be caught on video as it leapt between the trees, quick and unbothered by the presence of an observer. Nearby, in almost the same stretch of trail, a guacharaca announced itself before coming into view — as these loud tropical birds tend to do — and it too was recorded on video. The last discovery of the day was a sizable termite mound, built with patient layers of earth and saliva in the heart of the undergrowth, surrounded by shrubs and tangled branches. Four separate records, four GPS coordinates, a single walker. José closed out his report with the door left open: if anything else turns up along the way, he'll send it along.